John 5:24-30 ( NIV)
Jesus Christ said “24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
‘Rise’ word which is to come forth or to resurrect in English is ekporeusontai in Greek. On the other hand, ‘Raise up’ which is to lift or move to higher position is anasteso. In Ephesians 4:16-17, there are some who will be raised up. It says, “16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ is also telling us in verse 24 of the above main passage, that not all will face judgement. Who are these people? The same verse stated that; ‘Those who continue hearing His Word and continue believing GOD the Father are the people who will not face judgement at the end of time’. Take note that the singular form Word pertains to the Holy Spirit. The Word is the summation of all the words spoken by Christ, they are the Spirit,(not spirits) (John 6:63)
These are the people who have great faith in Jesus, the Christ. They are living not only guided with the Holy Spirit, but have surrendered themselves to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only WITH them but IN them.
In John Chapter 6, Jesus mentioned that He will raise them up at the Last Day. Here’s the verses:
John 6:39
“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:40
“ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:54
“ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
As we can digest here, those people are the chosen ones of GOD before the foundation of the world to be His vessels of His Word to do His Work THROUGH them and IN them. These are the people who will present nothing of their own works in the Last Day, but only the Work of GOD in them.
Very clearly explained in Ephesians 1:3-14.
Ephesians 1:3-14
“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
The best analogy is this; the chosen ones must conform The Chosen One. The Father predestined them to be like Jesus (Romans 8:29). So, His faith should be their faith. He emptied Himself and let the Father totally control Him. He lived not according to His will, but the Will of the Father (Luke 22:42). He said in John 5:30, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
Jesus reiterated this in John 14:10-14, “10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe in the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Evidently, when we totally let the Holy Spirit do His Work THROUGH us and IN us, GOD the Father will not judge His very own Work IN us… and that we escape judgement and will be raised up. Otherwise, we will be judged;—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. AMEN
Comments